Benjamin B. Blackburn
Benjamin B. Blackburn | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th district | |
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975 | |
Preceded by | James MacKay |
Succeeded by | Elliott H. Levitas |
Personal details | |
Born | Benjamin Bentley Blackburn February 14, 1927 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Mary A. Pandora Blackburn
(m. 1952; died 2018) |
Children | 4 |
Residence(s) | United States Naval Reserve |
Rank | Lieutenant commander |
Battles/wars | World War II; Korean War |
Benjamin Bentley Blackburn (born February 14, 1927) is a former U.S. Representative from Georgia who served from 1967 to 1975.
Life and career
Born in
In 1966, Blackburn was elected as a Republican to the Ninetieth Congress, having narrowly defeated freshman incumbent James MacKay by 360 votes: 55,249 (50.2 percent) to 54,889 (49.8 percent).[2] In that same election fellow Republican Bo Callaway challenged the Democrat Lester Maddox, a strong segregationist from Atlanta, in the 1966 gubernatorial race. Though Callaway led Maddox by some three thousand votes, he did not have the required majority; under the Georgia Constitution, the state legislature broke the impasse by electing Maddox. Blackburn supported Callaway, who as a congressman had sought to curb the high costs of federal social programs.[3] Years later, Blackburn described Maddox as a "far better governor than his critics will ever admit." Then out of office himself, Blackburn noted that no claim of corruption arose against Maddox, whose administration was characterized by economic development and the appointment of African Americans to state executive positions.[4] Blackburn was reelected to Congress in the three succeeding terms but was unsuccessful in a campaign for reelection in 1974.
In 1975 President Gerald Ford nominated him to serve as a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. On November 12, his nomination was rejected by the Senate Banking Committee in an 8–5 vote.[5] Blackburn served as president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation from 1976 until 1985. In 1982, he ran for governor of Georgia, but was defeated in the Republican primary by State Senator Bob Bell, 36,347 (59.2 percent) to 25,063 (40.8 percent).[6] Bell then lost in the general election to the Democrat Joe Frank Harris.
Electoral history
Georgia's 4th congressional district:[7][8][9][10][11]
Year | Republican | Votes | % | Democratic | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | √ Benjamin B. Blackburn | 55,249 | 50.2% | James MacKay | 54,889 | 49.8% | ||
1968 | √ Benjamin B. Blackburn | 78,753 | 57.5% | James MacKay | 58,154 | 42.5% | ||
1970 | √ Benjamin B. Blackburn | 85,848 | 65.2% | Franklin Shumake | 45,908 | 34.8% | ||
1972 | √ Benjamin B. Blackburn | 103,155 | 75.9% | F. Odell Welborn | 32,731 | 24.1% | ||
1974 | Benjamin B. Blackburn | 49,922 | 44.9% | √ Elliott H. Levitas | 61,211 | 55.1% |
References
- ^ Nomination of Benjamin B. Blackburn: Hearings Before the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, United States Senate, Ninety-fourth Congress, First Session on the Nomination of Benjamin B. Blackburn to be a Member of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, November 10 and 11, 1975
- ^ Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections, p. 1277
- Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South, XXXI (Winter 1987-1988), p. 41
- ^ Atlanta History, p. 48
- ^ Senate Panel, 8‐5, Rejects Ford Choice for Bank Post
- ^ Congressional Quarterly's Guide, p. 1677
- ^ Fortson, Ben (1966). "Official state of Georgia tabulation by counties for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representatives, Governor, Lt. Governor, constitutional officers, state officers and constitutional amendments, General Election November 8, 1966" (PDF). Digital Library of Georgia. p. 13. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Fortson, Ben (1968). "Official state of Georgia tabulation by counties for Presidential Electors, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representatives, state officers and constitutional amendments, General Election November 5, 1968" (PDF). Digital Library of Georgia. p. 13. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Fortson, Ben (1970). "Official state of Georgia tabulation by counties for U.S. Representatives, Governor, Lt. Governor, constitutional officers, state officers and constitutional amendments, General Election November 3, 1970" (PDF). Digital Library of Georgia. p. 8. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Fortson, Ben (1972). "Official state of Georgia tabulation by counties for Presidential Electors, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representatives, state officers and constitutional amendments, General Election November 7, 1972" (PDF). Digital Library of Georgia. p. 11. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Fortson, Ben (1974). "Official State of Georgia tabulation by counties for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representatives, Governor, Lt. Governor, constitutional officers, state officers and constitutional amendments, General Election November 5, 1974" (PDF). Digital Library of Georgia. p. 8. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- United States Congress. "Benjamin B. Blackburn (id: B000506)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2009-5-13
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress